Friday afternoon I listened to an inauguration speech about money and war. I look into the next four years and I see women’s rights in danger, nuclear war as an actual possibility, and the potential loss of support for so many programs that focus on real issues, like global warming, and real value, such as the National Endowment for the Arts.
I understand that there are men and women in this country who stand behind Trump and Pence wholeheartedly. They believe in making everyone more wealthy, in gaining more control in the world (at any price to our own military and the lives of those in other countries), and in chasing this fantasy that America is #1. We will be number one when we can look at the basic needs of our people—food, healthcare, jobs, homes, education, and provide those things. When we can pay men and women equally. When we can open our borders to those whose lives are in danger on a daily basis and who need a safe place to live. When people aren’t treated differently simply because of the color of their skin or their religion.
When I say I want to live in the wilderness, I’m not talking about running away from the issues or what I can do to help here. I’m talking about re-connecting with what’s important. America may not be number one when it comes to human issues, but it does have some top-notch empty spaces that hold all the answers. You just need to go beyond the pavement, the neon signs, the exhaust, the billboards, the people. If you can, pack a tent and plan to stay gone for a little while. Find a dirt road and drive.
When you get away from the cluster of busyness and society, you've broken the day-to-day cycle so many tend to get stuck in. Get out of your car and walk out into the forest (or the plain—wherever you have found yourself). Feel the breeze in your hair, and breathe the deep scent of pine. Listen to the maple leaves crunch under your feet. Lay in the grass and feel the sun on your face. Sit on the pebbly shore of a lake and watch the water move. Be still and feel the peace in that place.
Why?
Because nature holds the key. We don’t need any more hate. We don’t need to bomb other humans to prove how great we are. We don’t need to become richer and more powerful. We don’t need to go on Facebook and tell strangers we wish they would die because they said something we don’t agree with.
We need to realize how small we are.
We are just a small flash on the surface of this planet. Nature will move on with us or without us. We argue about things that aren’t actually significant. I understand that people have argued long before I arrived and they’ll argue long after I’m gone. It won’t change. What can change is our own mindset. We can be sure to focus on what’s important—our connection with and impact on other people, and how we can be more compassionate with the little time that we have here. We can take a lesson from the trees growing, the birds floating above us, the deer browsing through the grass: the simple things are all we need.
Notice the clouds around the top of the mountain. Feel the rain on your skin. Breathe deeply of fresh, clean air.
Forget the hate. Focus on love.
Life is actually a simple, beautiful thing.